Indiana’s Paul George added 23 points but the night belonged to Irving, who picked up where another rookie point guard left off in the NBA’s showcase game for its first- and second-year players. Wizards point guard John Wall earned MVP honors last season when he was a rookie.

Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson scored 20 points to lead Team Shaq. New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin had only two points.

This year’s Rising Stars Challenge had a different format, with the rookie and second-year players mixed together on teams for the first time. The league also inserted a little more name recognition with former stars Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley serving as general managers and drafting the teams.

While the teams had a different look, there was once again no real defensive effort and plenty of fan-pleasing fast breaks and flashy play.